Breaking: Petr Yan sanctioned by Ukraine for his “endorsement” of Russia’s military campaign

Breaking: Petr Yan sanctioned by Ukraine for his “endorsement” of Russia’s military campaign

Petr Yan [Image Source - MMA Weekly]

Petr Yan has had one of the worst years he could have imagined – he is only 29, yet he has been at the pinnacle of the sport for a couple of years now, and has already been part of three title fights.

When Petr Yan captured the vacant bantamweight belt in his title fight against Jose Aldo, the world sat up to take notice of the striking sensation from Russia, who is also a “Master of Sport” in boxing – if that doesn’t scream pedigree, hardly anything else does. Prior to the title shot, fans might remember how he was able to knock out bantamweight icon Urijah Faber in absolutely terrifying fashion.

Yet, from there, it was all about to go downhill, as the champion lost his belt to Aljamain Sterling due to an illegal knee, which he threw at his ‘downed’ opponent. Because of his credentials, the UFC guaranteed him a title shot if only he could add a win to his resume – and he did just that, beating Cory Sandhagen in a close, but exciting five-rounder. Enter 2022 – at the beginning of the year, “No Mercy” would not have expected to be on the precipice in his UFC career, as he is now, having lost consecutive fights against Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley.

If the year hadn’t gone bad already, his misery has been compounded now. In a list released by Ukraine, 56 athletes, including Yan, have been sanctioned for their endorsement of Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine. Another star inclusion on the list is pugilist Alexander Povetkin. This comes as a shocker, as Yan had earlier posted an Instagram story that seemingly promoted peace between the nations. Although the sanctions are economical in nature, Yan will also be restricted from entering the country for the next 10 years. [H/T Bloody Elbow]

Also Read- Why do Russian fighters like Magomed Ankalaev and Petr Yan feel mistreated and want to leave the UFC?

Why did Petr Yan say he won’t fight in the UFC again?

Petr Yan [Image Source - Bloody Elbow]
Petr Yan [Image Source – Bloody Elbow]

After Yan’s heartbreaking loss at the hands of Sean O’Malley at UFC 280, rumors started swirling in the fight world that proclaimed Petr Yan could be looking at exit options, given his perception of the UFC’s bias against him.

The reason for his perceiving unfair treatment comes in the light of two extremely closely fought fights against Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. In the bout with the former, although it was a close match, there can be no denying how dominant the American looked on the ground, and as such, a loss was only warranted for the Russian.

Also Read- “Fight was rigged” – Fans BLAST “disgusting promotion” UFC as Sean O’Malley defeats Petr Yan via controversial decision at UFC 280

The fight against O’Malley was a lot more contentious – with many believing that the Russian, despite having absorbed more damage, should get the win in lieu of “Sugar’s” control time, the result came as a shocker to many. A bonafide champion, who had been defeated just once in his UFC career, now was looking at three defeats in the span of two years. Hence, what followed was Yan’s apparent dilemma as to whether to leave, or to stay in the promotion. As of now, he is still part of the roster, but, as we saw in 2022, the new year can spring fresh surprises.

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